Sobek
The sobek are a race of reptilian humanoids who prefer to live near areas of running water. They are proud and fierce creatures, as at home in the rivers of their native lands as they are fighting in the plains or dunes. The sobek are a young race, and nearly all of them are born with some facility for manipulating the mysterious force known as akasha. Physical Description: Sobek are stocky, with ridged and mottled skin and short, almost stumpy, limbs. Sobek range in coloration from sandy tan to murky green or gray, with their particular coloration usually matching the habitat they were born in. The average sobek stands just over 5 feet tall, though their powerful tails are nearly as long again as their body. Society: Much of a male sobek’s life is spent engaging in struggles for dominance, both social and physical. The females are often just as fierce as the males, though typically they are more inclined to shame a rival through a clever social manipulation than a show of brute force. Despite, or perhaps because of, their highly competitive natures, the sobek are a highly social bunch, often living in large closely-knit communities. Sobek are fiercely protective of their young until they reach the age of maturity, at which point they are regarded as rivals just as dangerous as any other member of the race Relations: The sobek are a young race that has only recently developed relationships with the outside world. They find that they have much in common with proud and war-like races such as orcs, though their strictly structured hierarchy is much more disciplined than those chaotic creatures. The sobek also appreciate trade with dwarven tribes, as the reliable and strong nature of that race appeals to them. Humans and elves they view as flighty and inconsistent; gnomes and halflings are viewed with similar disdain, often compounded by deep-seated instincts that tell the sobek that such small, soft creatures are surely prey. Alignment and Religion: The sobek tend towards lawful alignments, always following the strict hierarchy established by their complex and instinctive dominance rituals. A sobek who would seek to overrule another must prove his superiority. The sobek have no concept of religion, except in a vague naturalistic philosophy they refer to as the river of existence. This philosophy believes that all energy flows through the various planes and levels of existence and the sobeks are travelers riding its current. When a sobek passes on, they believe that their spirit merely flows on to a new or greater tributary. Adventurers: The sobek are incredibly fierce warriors and rarely have trouble finding employment as mercenaries. Young sobek who disagree with the elders of their communities but lack the strength to supplant them will often leave to acquire experience and strength before returning to take their rightful place as leader. Others will seek to apprentice themselves to particularly skilled members of other races, hoping to learn the martial or social skills necessary to rise to a position of strength and leadership. Sobek Racial Traits * +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, –2 Wisdom: Sobek are strong with forceful personalities, but their predatory instincts often lead them to making rash decisions. * Essence-Born, Reptilian: Sobek are humanoids with the akashic and reptilian subtypes. * Medium: Sobek are medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. * Slow Land Speed: Sobek are poorly built for moving long distances across the ground and have a base speed of 20 feet. * Water Adaptation: Sobek are natural swimmers, with strong tails that help propel them through the water, granting them a swim speed of 30 feet. In addition, a sobek can hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 times their Constitution score before they risk drowning. * Natural Camouflage: Whenever the sobek is in Swamp or Water terrains, he gains a +2 bonus to Stealth checks. A sobek can invest essence into this ability the same way they would invest it into a veil or feat making it even more effective; they gain an additional +2 to Stealth checks for each point of essence invested into this ability. * Bite: The sobek gains a bite attack dealing 1d6 damage plus their Strength modifier. This bite can be enhanced by investing essence into it; the sobek gains an enhancement bonus to attack and damage with his bite attack equal to the amount of essence invested. * Sweeping Tail: The sobek’s powerful tail makes them difficult to sneak up on. Whenever a creature would move into a flanking position, the sobek may make a tail slap attack against them as an attack of opportunity. This attack deals 1d6 points of damage plus 1/2 his Strength modifier, and if successful, the sobek may attempt a free trip maneuver against the opponent. * Bonus Essence: Sobek have a natural connection to akashic energy and start play with 1 bonus essence point in their pool. * Languages: Sobek begin play speaking Common. Sobek with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aquan, Draconic, Dwarven, Goblin, Gnoll and Orc. Favored Class Options The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward. * Barbarian: Increase the essence capacity of bite or natural camouflage by +1/4. * Bard: Increase the competence bonus granted by your inspire courage performance by +1/5. * Cleric: Increase caster level for Water spells by +1/3. * Daevic: Treat one of your Passion veils as being invested with +1/5 additional essence. * Druid: Add +1/2 to wild empathy checks made to influence creatures from watery environments. * Fighter: Gain +1/4 bonus to CMB on trip attempts. * Guru (Sineater): Add +1/2 to unarmed strike damage rolls. * Paladin: Gain +1/6 of a new Mercy. * Rajah: Increase the damage done by natural attacks granted by your race by 1/4. * Ranger: Increase favored terrain bonuses by +1/4 (Swamp or Water only). * Rogue: Add +1/2 to sneak attack damage rolls made with bite attack. * Sorcerer: Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must have the Water descriptor and be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast. * Vizier: Gain +1/5 point of essence. * Wizard: Increase caster level for Water spells by +1/3. Alternate Sobek Nameer (Tigerfolk) Nameer are solitary and deadly predators, relying on speed and stealth to take down their foes and prey. * Ability Modifiers: +2 Dex, +2 Cha, –2 Int * Warm-blooded: Nameer lose the reptilian subtype. * Rapid Movement: Nameer are incredibly fast sprinters, and have a base movement speed of 40 feet. This replaces the slow and water adaptation racial traits. * Natural Camouflage: Nameer gain the stealth bonuses for this ability in Jungle and Plains terrains instead of Swamp and Water. * Claws: The nameer gains two claw natural attacks dealing 1d4 damage plus their Strength modifier. These claws can be enhanced by investing essence into them; the nameer gains an enhancement bonus to attack and damage with their claw attacks equal to the amount of essence invested. This replaces the bite racial trait. Solhofaat (Turtlefolk) Solhofaat are often mistakenly viewed as docile and peaceful due to their slow movements and quiet nature. In truth, they are the apex predators of their natural habitats, and their slow movements are an evolutionary adaptation to help them avoid detection by their prey. * Ability Modifiers: +4 Con, –2 Dex * Shell: The solhofaat have an impenetrable shell that covers most of their torso, granting them a +2 natural armor bonus. This shell can be enhanced by investing essence into it; for each point of essence invested into their shell, the solhofaat’s natural armor bonus increases by +1. This replaces the sweeping tail racial trait. * Slow Swim Speed: The swim speed granted to the solhofaat by the water adaptation racial trait is only 20 ft., instead of the 30 ft. swim speed normally granted. * Weakened Bite: Despite sharing evolutionary roots with the snapping turtle, the solhofaat’s bite attack cannot be invested with essence. This alters the bite racial trait. Category:Source: Akashic Mysteries